Improvement in railroad-ties



U MTED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EBENEZER E. LEWIS, OF GENEVA, NEW YORK.

IMPROVEMENT IN RAILROAD-TIES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 172,041,- dated January11, 1876; application filed November 27, 1875.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, EBENEZER E. LEWIS, of Geneva, in the county ofOntario and State of New York, have invented a Railroad-Tie, of whichthe following is a specification:

The object of my invention is to construct a railroad-tie of iron byrolling one or more ties in a continuous piece of iron and cutting itoff in suitable lengths to suit the width of road it is to be appliedto. The tie hasa broad surface to rest upon the road-bed, and on itsupper side a longitudinal projection for the seat of the rail to be madeinto, one seat at or near each end; also, a longitudinal projection onthe lower side of the broad surface to enter the road-bed to hold thetie in place, as shown in the accompanying drawing, in which-- Figure 1is a vertical section of the tie. Fig. 2 is a top view, and Fig. 3 aside view, of the tie.

The letters -of reference refer to the same parts in each figure.

A is the broad surface of the tie, that is placed upon the road-bed tosupport the several parts. It may be made of any size or lengthrequired. It has attached to it a projection 0n the upper surface, alsoa projection at the under side, all extendingacross the railroad-bedunder both rails of the road. B is a longitudinal projection made uponthe upper surface of the part A, and of the same length. In its upperedge are two seats for the railroad-rails, made the proper distanceapart to give the required width to the road. Its size or shape may bevaried to correspond with the various conditions where it may be used. 0is a longitudinal projection connected with the under side of the broadsurface. It is of the same length as the tie, and

maybe made of any required width or size. The lower edge may be made thethickest for the purpose of more securely holding the tie in place. Theuse of this projection is to keep the tie in position where placed andto give greater strength to the'tie. D and D are the seats for therailroad-rails. They are made in the upper edge of the projection B.They must be made large enough to receive the lower part of the railsand have space beneath the rails for any elastic substance that may bepreferred; also room for a key or wedge to be driven over one of theflanges of each rail. E is an elastic substance that is placed in therail-seat, and underneath the rail, to prevent noise and prevent injuryto the cars by the firmness of the road. Itinay be made of indiarubber,wood, or any other proper substance. This may or may not be used, for asoft roadbed'will not require as much as a hard one. F is the wedge orkey. It must be made to rest upon the base of the rail and extend downby the edge of the base, and large enough to fill the rail-seat whenproperly driven, and it must be made of such material that when driventhe points may be bent upward and outward to keep them in place while inuse.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, anddesire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

A railroad-tie composed of a bearing-surface, A, the projection B, withseats D and D for the railroad-rails, the projection (l, and the wedgeF, substantially as specified.

EBENEZER E. LEWIS. Witnesses:

JOHN L. LEWIS, CHARLES KETGHUM.

